Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A big, powerful example of this cuvee, the 2014 Syrah Lagniappe comes from the Red Willow, Forgotten Hills and Minick vineyards and is 100% Syrah. It offers a deep, rich bouquet of smoked herbs, cured meats, blackcurrants and pepper. This is followed by a powerful, tannic red that has full-bodied richness, plenty of mid-palate depth and a big finish. I was surprised by the tannin in this cuvee and it showed quite a bit differently (more fresh and lively) from barrel. Nevertheless, it's a serious wine that need 2-3 years of bottle age.
Rating: 94+? -
Decanter
The Cajun term ‘lagniappe’ means ‘a little something extra’. This inky wine is filled with black fruit, thyme, modest acidity and sturdy tannins.
-
Wine & Spirits
The 2014 Gramercy Syrahs, taken together, are quiet, burled up and needing the better part of three days to unfurl - the product, perhaps, of the new concrete fermenters Greg Harrington has used for this vintage. The Lagniappe smells of fare-off smoke, with dark blueberry fruit that feels like it's at a similar remove. The flavors, with time, move toward savory depths - now sage and lavender, then creosote and carob, then blueberries and violet candy. Utterly intriguing, and still a bit of a mystery. For the cellar.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
A large and geographically diverse AVA capable of producing a wide variety of wine styles, the Columbia Valley AVA is home to 99% of Washington state’s total vineyard area. A small section of the AVA even extends into northern Oregon!
Because of its size, it is necessarily divided into several distinctive sub-AVAs, including Walla Walla Valley and Yakima Valley—which are both further split into smaller, noteworthy appellations. A region this size will of course have varied microclimates, but on the whole it experiences extreme winters and long, hot, dry summers. Frost is a common risk during winter and spring. The towering Cascade mountain range creates a rain shadow, keeping the valley relatively rain-free throughout the entire year, necessitating irrigation from the Columbia River. The lack of humidity combined with sandy soils allows for vines to be grown on their own rootstock, as phylloxera is not a serious concern.
Red wines make up the majority of production in the Columbia Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant variety here, where it produces wines with a pleasant balance of dark fruit and herbs. Wines made from Merlot are typically supple, with sweet red fruit and sometimes a hint of chocolate or mint. Syrah tends to be savory and Old-World-leaning, with a wide range of possible fruit flavors and plenty of spice. The most planted white varieties are Chardonnay and Riesling. These range in style from citrus and green apple dominant in cooler sites, to riper, fleshier wines with stone fruit flavors coming from the warmer vineyards.